The Probing Lensing Anomalies NETwork (PLANET) collaboration coordinates a network of

telescopes A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally meaning only an optical instrument using lenses, curved mirrors, or a combination of both to observe ...

to rapidly sample photometric measurements of the magnification of stars in the

galactic bulge In astronomy, a galactic bulge (or simply bulge) is a tightly packed group of stars within a larger star formation. The term almost exclusively refers to the central group of stars found in most spiral galaxies (see galactic spheroid). Bulges w ...

undergoing

gravitational microlensing Gravitational microlensing is an astronomical phenomenon due to the gravitational lens effect. It can be used to detect objects that range from the mass of a planet to the mass of a star, regardless of the light they emit. Typically, astronomers ...

by intervening foreground

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

s (or other compact massive objects). This network consists of five 1m-class

optical telescope An optical telescope is a telescope that gathers and focuses light mainly from the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum, to create a magnified image for direct visual inspection, to make a photograph, or to collect data through electro ...

s distributed in

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east–west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek letter l ...

around the southern hemisphere in order to perform quasi-continuous round-the-clock precision monitoring. On a target-of-opportunity basis, less frequent

spectroscopic Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets the electromagnetic spectra that result from the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter as a function of the wavelength or frequency of the radiation. Matter wav ...

measurements complement the rapid photometry for selected prime targets. Since 2005, PLANET performs a common microlensing campaign with

RoboNet RoboNet-1.0 was a prototype global network of UK-built 2-metre robotic telescopes, the largest of their kind in the world, comprising the Liverpool Telescope on La Palma (Canary Islands), the Faulkes Telescope North on Maui (Hawaii), and the Faulk ...

-1.0, a network of UK-operated 2.0m robotic telescopes. In January 2009, PLANET has merged with the

MicroFUN The Microlensing Follow-Up Network (μFUN, pronounced "micro-fun") is an informal group of observers who monitor high magnification gravitational microlensing events in the Milky Way's Galactic Bulge. Its goal is to detect extrasolar planets via mi ...

collaboration.Former PLANET homepage
/ref>

Telescopes

For the 2006 observing season, the telescopes involved were (apart from the

telescopes): * Danish 1.54m telescope at

ESO The European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, commonly referred to as the European Southern Observatory (ESO), is an intergovernmental research organisation made up of 16 member states for ground-based ast ...

La Silla La Silla may refer to: * La Silla Observatory, an astronomical observatory in Chile * Cerro de la Silla, a mountain and natural monument located within the metropolitan area of the city of Monterrey, Nuevo León, in northeastern Mexico. * La Sill ...

, Chil

* 1.0 meter telescope at Canopus Observatory of the University of Tasmania, Australi

* 0.6 meter telescope at the

Perth Observatory The Perth Observatory is the name of two astronomical observatory, observatories located in Western Australia (WA). In 1896, the original observatory was founded in West Perth, Western Australia, West Perth on Mount Eliza (Western Australia), ...

South African Astronomical Observatory South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) is the national centre for optical and infrared astronomy in South Africa. It was established in 1972. The observatory is run by the National Research Foundation of South Africa. The facility's funct ...

1.0 meter telescope at

Sutherland Sutherland ( gd, Cataibh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caithness and Moray Firth to the east, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire (later ...

, South Afric

* Rockefeller 1.52 meter telescope at

Boyden Observatory Boyden Observatory is an astronomical research observatory and science education centre located in Maselspoort, north-east of the city of Bloemfontein in Free State, South Africa. The observatory is managed by the Physics Department of the Un ...

(Bloemfontein), South Afric

Members

As of late 2006, PLANET had 31 members from 11 countries: France, United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Austria, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States.

References

External links

PLANET legacy pages (1995-2007)uFUN-PLANET
Gravitational lensing {{observatory-stub